sci-fi book lovers read this!

[qub1t]

I'm hoping you guys can recommend me an anime that can compare to the works of my favorite sci-fi authors.

Examples are Vernor Vinge's zones of thought books, Issac Asimov's Foundation series, Larry Nirven's Ringworld series, Dan Simmon's Hyperion universe.

If you don't recognize any of these books or authors, please don't bother posting .

That list should give you the gist of what I'm looking for - a complex and epic plot filled with imaginative ideas, action, and believable, likable characters. I want technology like tree-ships, the ringworld, the technoCore, etc. I want a human story where I can sympathize with the characters, within the backdrop of a much bigger conflict.

The closest that I've come to anything like that is Hayao Miyazaki's Nausciaa manga. (if he ever decided to make a space opera type anime, that would be amazing )

To put it in terms of anime that I've seen before, something like:
Take the scope of towards the terra/banner of the stars, combine it with the action scenes and military technology of gundam/macross, add the characterization of 12 kingdoms/crest of the stars.

Yeah I don't really expect to find anything (I'm pretty picky -_- but if you think of anything, please post and I'll take a look into it. Thanks!

[Autumn Demon]

i doubt there's anything that comes remotely close to being like the great Western sci-fi novels, but escaflowne has some good elements.

[qub1t]

...escaflowne is nothing like anything I mentioned.

Some animes that I've liked are:

Now and then, here and there
Kino no tabi
12 Kingdoms
Crest/Banner of the stars

They don't necessarily reflect what I'm currently looking for, but they all contain some part of the qualities of what I consider great sci-fi.

[james0246]

I'm a little confused, do you want manga or anime?

[SeijiSensei]

The only show I can think of that comes even remotely close to your request is Noein. The "epic story" concerns a clash between alternative dimensions; the "human story" concerns a group of middle-schoolers caught up in this conflict, and their compatriots from the other dimensions. The only other series I might have mentioned is Crest of the Stars, but you've seen that.

Planetes is another excellent sci-fi show, but it's more in the slice-of-life genre. Ergo Proxy is more epic, but it's pretty cold emotionally.

If you've never seen Anno Hideaki's Gunbuster and Diebuster series for Gainax, you might give them a try. They have a certain epic quality and some appealing characters as well.

None of these operate at the level of works like the Foundation trilogy, though.

[Ichihara Asako]

Soukou no Strain was a rather underappreciated sci-fi gem recently. Terra E, too. Crest/Banner of the stars are excellent, and PlanetES is my favourite sci-fi anime. But I really do have to promote Soukou no Strain, since nobody ever mentions it and it's sorely neglected.

[Zenemis]

If there ever was an anime adaptation of the Foundation series that lives up to the novels... Mmm, makes me feel all tingly just thinking about it.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by qub1t

To put it in terms of anime that I've seen before, something like:
Take the scope of towards the terra/banner of the stars, combine it with the action scenes and military technology of gundam/macross, add the characterization of 12 kingdoms/crest of the stars.

Yeah I don't really expect to find anything (I'm pretty picky -_- but if you think of anything, please post and I'll take a look into it. Thanks!

The show that you're looking for is Legend of Galactic Heroes. It's probably the most similar show out there to the Crest of the Stars series, and it's the purest example of grand space opera in anime. While most of the show is concerned with giant sized space battles, and the discussion of tactics, there's a fair bit of room for politics and philosophy as well. Pretty much any science fiction fan should give it a shot. Please be aware that even though it's an OVA series, there are 110 episodes in the main show.

In general, while there's a lot of anime that have science fictional backdrops, there aren't all that many that have much of a science fiction feel. SeijiSensei's suggestions seem to be a good place to start - in particular, I'd second the recommendations of Planetes and Noein. The former has a lot of the feel of the earlier Heinlein juvenile novels with a lot of emphasis on the way humans and space interact coupled with a very realistic approach to near-future space environments. It's even better if you can snag the English language DVDs since they have featurettes with NASA scientists talking about some of the technologies and challenges depicted in the show. Noein is a much more fantastical piece, but it's the only anime I can think of that tackles quantum mechanics in a "many dimensions" framework I can think of. It also helps that these two shows are darn good as well (they're probably both better than Legend of Galactic Heroes).

Other than those choices, the most realistic depiction of space combat in just about any anime is Starship Operators - its central concept is goofy, but it adheres to its setting surprisingly well.
There's also an anime adaptation of Heinlein's Starship Troopers out there, but it's a bit older, and I hear that the depiction of the Mobile Infantry isn't as accurate as it could have been.

All of the above except for Starship Troopers and Legend of Galactic Heroes are licensed in R1 so they shouldn't be that hard to find.

[james0246]

Off the top of my head -

Manga:

20th Century Boys - wonderfully complex conspiracy story about a mysterious cult hell-bent on world conquest and destruction, and a group of friends who may or may not know the cult leader.
BLAME - stark story of a mysterious future in which Earth has seemingly been destroyed, and humanity lives in an ever expanding superstructure of unimaginable size. The size of the universe is reminiscent of Ringworld, and the structure is potentially a Dyson Sphere.
Pluto - very reminiscent of Asimov's Elijah Baley Robot series mysteries

Anime:

Infinite Ryvius - Lord of the Flies in Space...kind of.
Freedom - some similarities to Foundation and Hyperion - specifically, a misplaced Earth that is supposedly uninhabitable. That is only the background to this newer Otomo film/ova.
Blue Gender - the first half of this series is very reminiscent of Starship Troopers.
Mujin Wakusei Survive - children's series very reminiscent of early Heinlein and other Golden Age Adventure Sci-Fi stories.
Voices of a Distant Star - wonderful story slightly reminiscent of Pohl's Heechee series, specifically the long-distance relationships, and time-space differences caused by faster than light travel.
Texhnolyze - more William Gibson than Isaac Asimov.
Origin - Spirits of the Past - Nausicaa on steroids.